Legal commentators weigh SCO's chances (Inquirer) [LWN.net]

Legal commentators weigh SCO's chances (Inquirer)

Posted Jul 29, 2003 17:39 UTC (Tue) by ccchips (guest, #3222)
In reply to: Legal commentators weigh SCO's chances (Inquirer) by jdthood
Parent article: Legal commentators weigh SCO's chances (Inquirer)

So then, I guess it's time for OSS researchers to start getting their prior-art thing together, so when this is all over, the American and European patent systems will be cleaned up.

Meanwhile, where are all the big, other patent-holding, companies going to be on all of this, if they are so bullish on Linux lately?

What particularly bothers me about this is that it's another indication of how the rich trounce on the poor. I firmly believe that unless we, as a planet, stop that kind of behavior, we are doomed. People should be free to express themselves without having rich people play games with their lives, whether it be software companies, movie companies, or record companies. Stallman tried to help with that and copyright using the GPL. I hope to heaven all the Stallman detractors in our movements are starting to understand that now.

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Legal commentators weigh SCO's chances (Inquirer)

Posted Jul 29, 2003 18:38 UTC (Tue) by jdthood (guest, #4157) [Link]

> I hope to heaven all the Stallman detractors in our movements
> are starting to understand that now.

Hear, hear. RMS has been leading from _far_ out in front.
He has been proved right in most of what he has predicted
and advised. His main errors as a leader have been to choose
the wrong battles to fight, which he did because he was
stubborn. But that same stubbornness has made him the
backbone of the movement. I hope that the author of the
Inquirer article is right when he says that the FLOSS
community is pulling together for the battle.

> So then, I guess it's time for OSS researchers to start
> getting their prior-art thing together, so when this is
> all over, the American and European patent systems will
> be cleaned up.

Prior art won't help people who can't afford to fight in court
against corporations.

In order to defend themselves, they will need money. They will
need corporate allies. Those allies will be the companies that
are now starting to adopt GNU/Linux on a large scale. The
question is, can Microsoft/SCO destroy GNU/Linux before it has
a chance to establish itself in business? It is a race.
So expect the heavy guns to come out by the end of the year.

If you think I am exaggerating the danger, just imagine how you
would feel if you received a legal letter informing you that you
were being sued for contravening a patent and had caused 100
million dollars damage to MegaCorp's business. Now imagine 50
leading contributors to GNU/Linux receiving such letters. Sure,
you'll be angry, but what will you be able to do about it?

Legal commentators weigh SCO's chances (Inquirer)

Posted Jul 30, 2003 12:11 UTC (Wed) by Wol (guest, #4433) [Link]

"RMS and mainstream opinion have been getting a lot closer together in recent years".

I've come across that sentiment several times recently (and agree with it). It's usually accompanied with (and again I agree) "Guess who's moved? Because it certainly wasn't RMS!"

Cheers,
Wol

Legal commentators weigh SCO's chances (Inquirer)

Posted Jul 30, 2003 13:47 UTC (Wed) by ekj (subscriber, #1524) [Link]

RMS doesn't need to move very often, because he is right most of the time.